Garden State

Scrubs star Zach Braff not only made his debut as a film director with 2004’s Garden State; he also wrote the script and handpicked the songs on the movie’s sound track. Fans of Bon Jovi and the Boss beware: despite its title, Garden State goes easy on the New Jersey rock ‘n’ roll, opting instead for a perfectly curated collection of ennui-inducing mid-2000s indie rock. Included are tracks by Thievery Corporation, Iron & Wine, Frou Frou and two songs by the Shins — a group whose popularity skyrocketed after the album won a Grammy for Best Compilation Soundtrack for a Motion Picture. Of his musical choices, Braff said, “Essentially, I made a mixed CD with all of the music that I felt was scoring my life at the time I was writing the screenplay.”